NCJ Number
154226
Journal
Key to Commonwealth Corrections Issue: 29 Dated: (Autumn 1994) Pages: 7-18
Date Published
1994
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Official statistics on reported crimes, the number of persons charged, and the numbers of persons admitted to penitentiaries in Canada were used to determine the effect of police investigators' and prosecutors' efficiency on Canadian crime rates from 1962 to 1990.
Abstract
The analysis focused on homicide, robbery, assault, and burglary. Graphical interpretations and multivariate analysis revealed that an increase in the volume of one type of crime does not necessarily lead to a decrease in the ability of the police and the courts to identify and punish the offenders. This result contradicts the belief that a growing volume of criminal activity will necessarily lead to a reduction in the ability of the criminal justice system to deal with crime. Nevertheless, this belief may still hold true for less serious criminal activities, such as burglary. However, it is not clear whether the criminal justice system has difficulty in dealing with a sudden increase of a nonserious form of crime or if society adjusts itself to these increases through insurance. Findings also indicated that police investigators' efficiency and prosecutors' efficiency did not change dramatically in the last three decades, although crime increased steadily. The police became better at identifying and accusing murderers, and the courts sent proportionately more of these accused to penitentiaries. Thus, the police and the courts have generally demonstrated great adaptability in dealing with offenders. Figures, table, and 37 references